"The bicycle," wrote Susan B Anthony in 1896, has "done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world." But more than a century since the suffragettes saddled up, there remain an awful lot of women who find bike shops intimidating places designed to make them feel small and stupid.

That's why the Cycle Show has this year invited two "cycle stylists" along to advise women on finding everything from the right bike to a pair of flattering cycling shorts. Debbie Burton, founder of online cycle shop minx-girl.com, along with champion rider Jenn Hopkins, is offering free personal shopping appointments at the event in Earls Court, London.

"We can give the sort of advice you wouldn't get from a bloke in a bike shop – like not wearing male cycling shorts because they're cut all wrong, or not wearing pants underneath cycling shorts because they chafe," said Burton.

The three-day symposium is about innovation as well as practicality. Industrial design student Anirudha Surabhi, from the Royal College of Art, was showcasing one of the most interesting inventions today: a cardboard helmet. The Kranium is made from strips of allegedly waterproof cardboard, slotted together in a honeycomb pattern. Despite being 100g (4oz) lighter than the average polystyrene rival, it is four times stronger, claims Surabhi, who won the James Dyson bursary to develop the product. He hopes the helmets will be available in six months to a year, and will initially cost £40 for an off-the-peg model or £85 for a custom one – though he hopes they could one day be sold cheaply in vending machines to link with civic bike hire schemes.

Other curious ideas included the child's balance bike from Dutch brand First Bike, which has a ski attachment for the winter months, and the £9.99 Bike Bags, which are ready-made, bike-shaped wrapping for two-wheeled Christmas presents.

Hawking his wares at the other end of the price scale was former world champion Mario Cipollini, who has just branched into bicycle manufacture. "It's a Ferrari, eh?" said Cipollini, stroking his most expensive model, which costs around £10,000. But it's worth every penny, he insisted. "It's about emotion. It's an emotional bike. When you sit on it, you feel it," he said.

Plus, said his UK distributors, if you pay the full whack, you get to go to Florence for a two-hour ride with Cipollini, who will tweak the bike to fit you perfectly. But it's not just about the bike, he insisted: "We ride, we drink wine, we eat good food – it will be incredible."